All of This
by TouchOfViolet
Summary: A small collection of Keiko centric one shots.
1. Crush

**Disclaimer**: Not mine yet, but Christmas is coming. And, frankly, I deserve it, Santa.

I don't own Cory Branan or his songs either, Santa. *hint hint*

**A/N**: This is going to be a story of multiple one-shots that are all connected, if not published in chronological order. So, every one-shot is connected to the other one-shots, but I reserve the right to bounce around in time.

This first one shot is pure Yusuke/Keiko fluff because there just isn't enough on this site. This is post Dark Tournament. Roughly, anyway. And was inspired by the song "Crush" by Cory Branan, and I was going to include the lyrics of his song at the end of the story, but the rules on ff.n suggest that I don't do that. Anyway, there are two spots in the story when the lyrics do show up, and if that is against the rules, um. My bad.

Thank you for the beta, Jordan. You ROCK, my friend.

**Characters featured**: Yusuke/Keiko

**Genre:** Romance

**Rating:** K+

**Summary: **Yusuke hasn't shown up to the dance like he promised Keiko. And she's not too happy about that.

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**All of This**

by Touch of Violet

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Crush

Keiko tried not to cry. So hard. It figures, Urameshi making promises again he never intended to keep. But – son of a peach! – why did she keep believing he'd keep his word? She rounded her shoulders and tried to smile at her friends as they danced to a slow song with their perspective dates – some of them doing more than just dancing – underneath all the beautiful, twinkling Christmas lights at the Winter Formal. It was unseasonably warm for early December, but just because it wasn't snowing didn't mean that it wasn't a little cool. Keiko had been promised by her boyfriend, her stupid boyfriend, that he would take her to the dance. It had even been his idea. She hadn't expected to go at all. But he had shown up at school after one of his missions, saw a flyer on the hall, jerked a thumb at it and told her they were going together.

He didn't show, of course.

She bit her tongue and tried not to look too awkward as she stood by the punch bowl with all the other lonely losers. She had even gone out and blown all of her saved money on a new dress! Her dress was black, knee length, with cap sleeves and lace around the v-neck neck. Her high heeled pumps were a patent leather red. And she looked _good_. After spending over two hours to get ready, she had better looked good!

But - chicken whiskers! - her boyfriend didn't show up!

Keiko's hand clenched in fists and she glared at all the happily dancing, and kissing, couples. And the music was just so, so, INFURIATING! All lovey dovey and sing songy and saying things like "relationships aren't complicated" and "the boyfriend is never an idiot" and "he'll show up at your house every morning with flowers" and was just completely unrealistic! She narrowed her cinnamon eyes at the unsuspecting DJ, thinking about storming over to him in her red pumps and giving him a piece of her mind about ridiculous songs. This was _junior high_. This was not the time for fairy tales!

"Um, Yukimura?" A male voice asked from behind her.

Keiko's eyes widened and she looked over her shoulder. Behind her stood one of the more popular boys in her school, a hand behind his head and a blush on his cheeks. He was handsome, and intelligent, and played sports. He was the perfect boy.

Unfortunately for Keiko, she had a thing for imperfect delinquents turned crime fighters. "Yes, Hauro?" She asked, turning her whole body towards him.

"Would you," his blush deepened, "would you like to dance?"

Well, the truth was, she very much wanted to dance. Perhaps not with Hauro – oh, ginger snaps! – but she still wanted to dance. With a sigh, she forced a smile on her face, "That would be lovely, Hauro."

He grinned and offered her his hand. She reached out one of her own to take it, but a third hand grabbed her roughly by the shoulder.

"Sorry, guy, she's not interested." The cocky voice that made the statement presumably belonged to the hand that was holding her roughly.

And Keiko had an idea as to who the voice and the hand belonged to. Her eyes narrowed dangerously. "Yusuke?" She questioned, her voice a note lighter than it normally was.

She could practically hear him grin. "Yep."

She shrugged him off of her shoulder and glared at him. "Excuse me, Yusuke, but I'm going to dance with Hauro here."

His grin faltered. "What? No, Keiko, I already told him you weren't interested. Don't worry about it."

Her glare intensified. "Oh, but I am interested. Very much. So, if you will just excuse me-"

Yusuke grabbed her elbow and shot a mean look over her head at Hauro. "Hey, listen guy, why don't you just run along and leave my girlfriend the hell alone, okay?"

"Oh!" Keiko slapped his arm off of her. "So now I'm your girlfriend? Now you'll bother with me? Hmm? How about two hours ago when you were supposed to be at my house? What about then? Who was your girlfriend then? Hmm?"

He blinked at her, clearly confused by her anger. "Um. You were?"

She raised a finger, intent on jamming it in his chest a few times, when Hauro chose that moment to speak up.

"Pardon me, but Yukimura here wants to dance with me."

Keiko closed her eyes, finger still in the air and halfway to Yusuke's chest. Oh – shiitake mushrooms – the boy was trying to be a hero! Clearly the perfect boy had a death wish. She opened her eyes in time to see Yusuke flash a grin in his direction.

"Oh, does Yukimura now? Listen, it doesn't really matter what Yukimura wants-"

"Hey!"

"-because she is here with me, you got that, mud for brains?"

Keiko could feel the boy behind her bristle. "Well, personally I find your ideals about women's wants not mattering to be absolutely ridiculous. And I do not appreciate being called, 'mud for brains.' Perhaps we should compare grade point averages, Neanderthal?"

Yusuke pulled his hands into fists and growled at the boy. "Just move a long before you get hurt, idiot."

"I am not going to leave Yukimura here in the presence of someone such as yourself," he took Keiko's hand and she felt her stomach drop. Puppies and rainbows – this boy _did_ have a death wish!

She barely had time to get out of the way when Yusuke's fist connected with Hauro's face, and the pretty boy fell to the ground, clearly unconscious.

The entire auditorium froze. The music stopped. The lights came on. And everyone looked over at the three of them: Keiko, with her hands over her mouth in surprise, Yusuke, his hands fisted at his side and seething with rage, and poor, poor stupid Hauro, laying on the floor and bleeding, unconscious.

Two chaperones came over, one she recognized immediately as Principal Takanaka. "Urameshi, can you not cause trouble for just one night?"

Yusuke shrugged and shoved his hands in his pockets.

The principal shook his head and put a hand on Yusuke's back. "Let me escort you off school grounds, Urameshi."

Keiko stared after them as two men flanked Yusuke on either side and walked him out of the auditorium. The lights dimmed, the music turned back on, and eventually everyone went back to dancing. Her delinquent threw a casual look over his shoulder at her before disappearing behind the doors.

Cheese and crackers! She just wanted to go to the dance with her boyfriend! Biting her lip and trying not to cry again, she chased after them.

Keiko found the three of them in the parking lot. She stopped running and walked calmly over to Yusuke, brushing passed the two chaperones. She heard them sigh as they past her. One of them had the audacity to whisper, "She could do so much better." She growled quietly and picked up her speed a little.

Yusuke was leaning against the driver's side door of a light blue car, his arms crossed over his chest. She took the time to notice him as she walked. He had actually dressed up – well, as much as Yusuke could dress up. Nice slacks, a buttoned down, long sleeved blue t-shirt, nice shoes, and his hair slicked back. Her heart skipped a beat at just the sight of him, and she tried her best to remind herself that she was angry at him.

"What were you thinking?" She asked, tilting her head to the side and glaring.

He looked at her like she was insane. "He was touching you, Keiko!"

Keiko snorted. "He wanted to dance with me!"

Yusuke threw his arms in the air. "So did I!"

She paused, a weird warmth spreading across her chest and tingling its way into her stomach. "Really?" She whispered.

He gave a sweeping glance at her before turning around and opening the car's door.

"Yusuke!" She exclaimed. "What are you doing? Breaking into cars?!"

He looked over her over his shoulder, fiddling around with the cars stereo system. "It's my mom's car; I drove it here."

"You drove?! Yusuke – you don't have a license!"

"Keiko! Damn it, I kill demons on a daily basis! I can handle a car!"

Quiet music started to play and Yusuke stood up and out of the car. "Now, come here," he said, and without waiting for an answer, grabbed her by her waist and pulled her to him.

She squealed when her face made contact with his chest. Keiko pulled away from him slightly, unable to get completely out of his hold, and noticed he had a blush on his face and wouldn't look at her in the eyes.

"Just, just dance, okay?" He urged, his hold tightening around her.

Keiko felt her own face heat up and she nodded, carefully putting both arms around his neck.

The music was soft, just a man singing and an acoustic guitar. She had never heard it before, and strained to hear the words. Her heart sped up when she realized what the man was singing. "Remember that Halloween when I went as Jimmy Dean? You were a princess, or a gypsy, or whatever. I was James Dean, and I had a crush on you."

Now THAT was a realistic verse of a song. Not the fairy tale bologna the DJ in the auditorium was focused on playing.

He rubbed a circle on the small of her back and she rested her temple against his cheek, breathing in his cologne. They were dancing in their school's parking lot, in front of his mom's open car door, underneath the bright white starts in the unseasonably warm December night.

It wasn't quite the Winter Formal she planned on.

Her heart was pounding against her chest and she found it hard to breathe. His thumb kept running lazy circles on her back, and he gently rested his cheek against her head. The song was beautiful, the moment with him was beautiful, and she found she was fighting against her tears.

Yusuke leaned down, his lips ghosting against the shell of her ear. "I'm a sixteen year old Hitler, with a troubled, lovesick mind," he whispered quietly, singing along with the man on the song. "Do you get the picture? I am of the dangerous kind." She felt his nose rub her earlobe. "And I got this crush on you." Keiko melted at his words.

She shivered against him, and one hand slid down from around his neck and rested on his chest, over his heart, grabbing a handful of his shirt. One of his hands left her back and held the hand that had clung to his shirt, keeping it over his heart. She could feel it beneath her palm – beating almost as fiercely as her own.

They were still dancing when the song ended. Keiko raised her head to look at his handsome face. She smiled when she saw his blush had only deepened and he appeared to be holding his breath.

She stood on her tiptoes and kissed his lips. A few quiet, perfect seconds later, she pulled away from him. His eyes were wide as he stared down at her, one of his arms still firmly around her waist, the other still holding her hand against his heart.

With a sigh, she nuzzled her cheek against his shoulder. "Best Winter Formal ever," she whispered into his blue shirt.

And in the parking lot, in front of his mom's open car door, underneath the unseasonably warm December's stars, they continued to dance without music.

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**A/N**: That's the end of this one-shot. What do you think?

Not all the one-shots will be this fluffy, I promise! ;p


	2. What About The Girl Who Ran?

**Disclaimer:** Not mine.

**A/N**: This takes place during the three year period of Yusuke's absence in Keiko's life, due to his training.

Please forgive any timeline inconsistencies and any unintentional OOCness.

Many thanks to Jordan for the beta, and for staying up late to watch episodes of Yu Yu Hakusho.

**Characters featured:** Keiko and Hiei (though this is not a K/H fic.)

**Genre:** I'd say it's a mix of angst/humor with a little 'friendship' thrown in. (Isn't it funny that that is actually a choice on ff.n?)

**Rating**: K+

**Summary:** Yusuke's absence had been hard on Keiko, at first - until she discovered that fabled and ever elusive 'runners high.' One evening, while chasing that high, she runs into everybody's favorite three eyed demon. And he's never been one to back down from a challenge.

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**All of This**

by Touch of Violet

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What About The Girl Who Ran?

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_And what about the girl who ran?_

_She ran so far away she could never find her way back home again_

_She tripped and fell and broke her heart_

_Now the only thing she does well is fall apart_

-Bob Schneider (C'mon Baby)

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Yusuke's absence had been hard on Keiko, at first. She would catch herself daydreaming about him bursting through her homeroom door and rescuing her from the absolute _mundaneness_ of school, of life, of everything; because everything was absolutely mundane without him, in a way that was so terribly painful it was hard to feel anything else. For months she pouted, and cried, and called out to the heavens about the horrible unfairness that was her life. It felt, it honestly felt, like she was nothing without him. And it hurt so much that she sometimes wished she could keep her heart in a box and burry it on a far away island some place.

But then, she started keeping herself busy. She had always had her school work, of course. But she got more involved in student government. She became the youngest student council president in the history of her high school. Her grades were immaculate. She started brainstorming fundraisers for the school, earning more money than any other student council president in the history of her high school. She started painting, and writing poetry, and playing piano, and exercising. She even took up a pole dancing class on Wednesday nights, which was surprisingly fun and empowering. Keiko avoided Yusuke's friends as much as possible because they only made her hurt; they reminded her of Yusuke; they reminded her of the one thing she wanted but couldn't have. Kazuma hadn't realized she wanted to be left alone. In fact, he bothered her every single day, either with a phone call or dropping by her house with sweets. Someone had told him her love of strawberry pocky, and knowing who that someone probably was only caused her heart to swell and beat painfully against her chest.

She tried so hard to keep herself busy, to keep herself from even thinking about that idiot. Nothing seemed to really work.

And then, she discovered running.

Keiko had heard tale of a so called 'runner's high' but thought it was just bull that gym teachers came up with to motivate their students. She didn't believe that running could actually soothe your soul, that it could stop the hurt, that it could grant a gentle peace to a broken heart. She didn't believe any of it until she started running.

Her obsession with the sport had started innocently. She had been at home, studying for a test with a movie on the living room TV. And then the main character's love interest had returned home after being gone for some time, so Keiko threw her book at the screen. She had left her home running, but not because she wanted to run, but because she wanted to forget. She didn't realize until she had run miles away from her home that the burning in her lungs, the ache in her legs, the dryness of her mouth would eventually still the world around her, and that stillness would force her to realize that everything was going to be just fine.

The runner's high. When running so far for so long until you couldn't feel your legs beneath you, until you were just about to fall over from exhaustion, when every breath scorched your throat … it all just stops. There is no more pain. There is only a calm reassurance, a peace in the air, and suddenly, life is worth living again.

Keiko was good at running. She was even better at running long distance. She tried out for her school's track team and managed to get a position. She ran against her teammates, and won. She ran competitively against other high school students in the county, and won. Kazuma often commented that she should try out for the Olympics. But Keiko didn't run to win. Keiko didn't run for any other reason than to run for so long and so hard that she couldn't feel her legs beneath her – that she couldn't feel anything but that ever elusive high she desperately needed.

She only tried out for her track team because it gave her something to do and it hid her unhealthy obsession well. Running was like her heroin, and she tried so desperately to hide her addiction from those around her for fear that they would take it away from her. She needed it, like the blood that pumped through her veins, like the beat of her heart, she needed it to survive.

Running the way she loved to was difficult in the summer. Keiko was a first thing in the morning type of runner; it cleared her head for the day that lay before her. Heck, she was also a last thing at night type of runner; it almost ensured she wouldn't have bad dreams when she slept. But during the summer, running in the morning was almost out of the question. It was so hot that it felt like she was running through hell and it incredibly hindered the high she sought.

So, she ran twice as long and twice as far in the evenings to compensate. She couldn't get enough. She honestly couldn't get enough. She ran far from home, far from her past, far from the future she desperately waited for, until she couldn't feel her legs beneath her anymore, until she could barely even breathe. And then, when it felt like she would fall and pass out from exhaustion, she kept running.

And it was in that pain, in that push to continue, the high sent her soaring. Nothing hurt anymore. Not her legs, not her lungs, not the loneliness – the never ending, unrelenting loneliness. She felt like she could fly, she felt like she _was_ flying, and absolutely nothing could bring her crashing to the ground.

Keiko inhaled deeply, holding her breath and reveling in the afterglow of her high when she stopped on her trek. She had run into the heart of the park, deeper than she had ever gone before. Letting out her breath slowly, she held on to her knees and tried to work out the stitch in her side. Satisfied with the speed of her breathing, she stood back up and grabbed her water bottle from its holder on her side. She squirted water into her mouth before drenching her face with the cold liquid. It dripped off her face and down her neck and all over her shirt.

"What the hell are you doing?"

The dark, low voice came out of nowhere and made Keiko's heart beat erratically. She jumped at least three feet in the air, dropping her water and grabbing for her mace that she kept in the pocket of her gym shorts. She spun around in the direction of the voice, holding the bottle up in front of her.

And then, her mind caught up with her body, and put a face to the dark, low voice.

"H-Hiei?" She asked, her voice nothing more than a whisper.

Before she could blink, he was standing in front of her, an eyebrow arched just so slightly. He reached out a hand and took the bottle of mace from her. "What is this?" He asked, sniffing it. "A weapon?"

Keiko nodded, suddenly aware of the fact that she had just squirted herself with water, and was wearing a too small white shirt, and there was a cool summer breeze, and she was in _a white shirt_! She crossed her arms against her chest, trying to hide her obvious predicament.

"I carry a weapon with me whenever I'm alone," Keiko told him. "I mean," she gave a soft chuckle, "I have been kidnapped before."

He looked up at her with an almost unreadable expression in his red eyes – if she squinted really hard, was that amusement hiding in there somewhere? – before turning the bottle around in his hand. "What are you doing out here all alone? Pouring water all over yourself?"

She blushed deeply, holding her arms a little tighter against her chest. "Running."

"Hn," was all he said, his attention still on her mace.

She took a moment to look around the park; the sun had set and stars were starting to come out. They were alone in that part of the park, surrounded by many tall trees. And, they were in the human world. She and _Hiei_. In the _human world_. So, "Why are you out here, Hiei?" Keiko questioned.

"I doubt you're any good at it," he responded, his eyes flickering to her face.

Keiko's eyebrow twitched. "At what?"

"Running," said Hiei in a very bored tone of voice.

Keiko bristled, the hairs on the back of her neck standing up for reasons other than the summer breeze rustling over her wet skin. "Excuse me? I am _really_ good at running."

"I'm sure," he snorted.

She glared fiercely. "Can I have my mace back, please?"

He eyed the bottle in his hand. "You think I'm going to harm you, girl?"

"No," Keiko snapped. "_I _want to harm _you_!"

He paused. After a moment, another eyebrow was arched at her. But she still had no weapon in her hands.

Keiko closed her eyes and breathed in deep. It hurt having Hiei this close to her. She wanted him to leave just as much as she wanted him to stay. He was pulling her down from her high, grabbing at her ankles and bringing her kicking and screaming, crashing back down to the ground.

There was only one way to address the situation: frustrate him into leaving.

Her eyes snapped open and she smiled at him. "I bet I'm better than you."

It was a ridiculous bet. She knew it was a ridiculous bet. She had seen this boy fight, after all. She had seen the way he moved faster than her eyes could process.

But she just wanted him to leave; she needed him to leave. He only made her remember. And she hated that more than anything else.

He looked at her like she was insane. "You are as much a moron as your detective, girl," he snapped.

Her chest tightened and she bit her lip. After drawing blood, she let her lip go, and smiled at him again. "No, I mean it. I win competitions all the time. I'm the best female runner at my school. Heck, I've even beaten all the boys. I bet if you don't rely on your youkai blood, or whatever it is, I'd beat you by a mile."

Hiei glared at her. "Trust me, girl, I don't need my superior heritage to beat you."

"So what do you need then?" She asked, tilting her head to the side, "A head start?"

If it was possible – and it apparently was – his glare intensified. If she was lucky, he'd throw a hissy fit and storm away from her for being such a 'stupid human girl.' She may not have known Hiei very well, but she knew enough about him to know that he would never, in a million years –

"Let's race," Hiei said.

- back down from a challenge.

Oh, darn it all to heck and back!

"Great," she smiled. "We'll run to my parent's ramen shop. Whoever loses buys the other one noodles, deal?"

He nodded once, handing her back her bottle of mace. "And I'll give _you_ a head start, girl."

"Oh, my hero."

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Halfway to the ramen shop, she wondered if she should give up and go home. She had already seen him fly past her and, cheese and crackers, he was SO using his demon power or youkai blood or whatever the heck superpower he had.

As she rounded the corner, the shop in her view, the image of Hiei wearing a cape flashed threw her mind. She was giggling when she made it to the entrance of the shop. Hiei was leaning on the wall next to the door, arms over his chest, one leg on the wall behind him. He looked up at her with an eyebrow raised. Though his face didn't show it, she could just tell how proud he was of himself.

"Okay, Superman, you beat me." Keiko conceded, bending over and grabbing on to her knees again. "You – you wanna go in and get some ramen? My treat?"

He glanced over at the door of the shop, and she noted how busy it looked, even from outside. It was the dinner rush after all. Maybe, he was uncomfortable being around that many humans at one time? Not that he'd ever admit it, of course.

Oh well. Give the stubborn boy an out.

"Uh, tell you what," Keiko said, standing on the balls of her feet and raising her arms over her head in a good, long stretch, "I am all sweaty and," she dropped her arms and tugged at the hem of her too small white t-shirt, "and probably not any good to look at. Why don't I grab us some ramen from the kitchen and meet you on the roof?"

He gave a nod and she saw him jump. Again, the picture of him in a cape and posing heroically made her giggle. She jogged around the back and bothered her father until he gave her two bowls of beef ramen. Carefully holding the bowls, she took the stairwell up to the roof because, try on as many miniskirts as she did, she just was not Super Girl.

He was sitting down, legs crossed and sword resting against his shoulder. His eyes flickered at her before returning to looking out at Tokyo's skyline, the bored expression never leaving his face.

Her chest hurt when she handed him a bowl of ramen and sat down next to him, her evil brain recalling memories of rooftops with Yusuke. They ate in relative silence – she never would've guessed the fire demon at her side to be a slurper! – while she thought of ways to make the pain stop. There was only one obvious solution. Since the pain was only around because Hiei was around, he needed to leave. But she couldn't very well just say, "Hey, get out of here, you stupid head!" because, well, he was probably anti-social by nature for a good (and probably painful) reason, right?

So, the plan should then be, annoying him into leaving. That way he would feel like he was the one making the call to leave and she wouldn't feel guilty about kicking him out of her life. Hopefully for good. Or, at least until Yusuke was back.

Oh, sneaker laces, she thought of that idiot again!

Keiko put her bowl down and turned a little, so she was facing Hiei, and smiled. "Wanna play a game?"

He looked up at her, his chopsticks filled with noodles inches away from his open mouth. "No."

"Oh! Come on!" She urged, clapping her hands together. "It'll be fun!"

"Hn."

She paused, unhappy that she didn't get him to say 'no' again, but not wanting to let on that she really didn't want to play a game. "Okay, this is how it works. I ask you a question and you answer it. And then, you ask me a question and I answer it."

Around a mouthful of noodles he said, "That sounds like a stupid game."

Keiko balked at him, actually offended. "No, it's not! It's a great game for getting to know someone."

"And why would I want to get to know you?"

"Duh!" She exclaimed, gesturing at the bowl he held in his hands. "Free ramen!"

That statement seemed to catch his attention, and he studied the noodles in his grasp thoughtfully.

"All of my friends get free ramen," Keiko urged. "And you can't be someone's friend if you don't know them, can you?"

"Apparently one only has to beat you in a sport you claim you are 'the best' at to get free ramen," Hiei said in a very calm voice, his chopsticks going for more.

Keiko's jaw fell and her eyes bled red for a moment. Freaking little … DEMON! She 'harumphed' and crossed her arms against her chest, turning away from him. After a long moment, with only the sound of Hiei eating, Keiko picked her bowl back up from the ground and started eating her noodles again.

She noted, when her bowl was almost empty, that he was still there.

Apparently, she was good at everything, except getting the little, anti-social demon to leave her alone. Figures. It was in his nature to be anti-social, but because Keiko's life followed Murphy's Law, around her he was social.

She'd just have to try harder.

"Favorite color?" Keiko urged, knocking her elbow against his.

He glared incredibly fiercely at her, to the point where she almost lost her nerve. Almost.

"Favorite song? Oh, wait, do you know any songs?"

Hiei turned his eyes away from her and went back to eating.

"Favorite dessert?"

"Favorite book?"

"How old are you?"

"Why are you in the human world?"

"How do you like your new job?"

"What was fighting in the tournaments like?"

"Since you are a fire demon, is your body temperature normally really, really hot?"

"Do you ever get sick?"

"How do you get your hair to stick up like that?"

That one caught his attention. He turned his entire neck to look at her, his patience clearly wearing thin.

Ah, so close now! "Can I – can I touch it?" She asked, her eyes on his hair, her right hand twitching around her bowl.

When he didn't say anything, Keiko offered a silent prayer up to whatever God would listen for a quick death, and reached out a hand to touch his hair. It was surprisingly soft, she realized as she ran careful fingers through it. Not at all like Yusuke's hair, which was normally gelled backwards and stiff to the touch. Hiei's was soft and must just stand up on his head naturally.

"What the hell are you doing?" Hiei's voice was low and dark and not unlike the tone he used in the park after he caught her squirting water all over herself.

She pulled her hand back and looked up at him, eyes as wide as a deer caught in the headlights. "Well, you didn't say I couldn't…"

"I didn't say you could, either!" He snapped, his eyes dangerously narrowed. "It would be wise of you, girl, to keep your hands to yourself if you wish to walk off this roof with hands attached to you at all."

That was IT! She had only been trying to get him to LEAVE HER ALONE and instead of LEAVING HER ALONE he was threatening her!

She threw her bowl at him.

It hit him in the chest, the remaining broth and noodles spilling out and running down his cloak. He stared down at the mess in his lap before turning a murderous gaze on her. His hands twitched for his sword.

Keiko cried.

She literally broke down on herself, buried her face in her hands, and balled hysterically. "I'm so sorry!" She gasped out in-between sobs. "It's just so hard to be here with you! You remind me so much of the fact that he's not here and I just, I just feel so alone! I'm all alone and you being around only reminds me of how alone I am!"

She could feel him stiffen at her side, but she didn't have any dignity left to gather up and clean herself off with. She just hung her head and sobbed into her hands, tears and snot running freely.

It was at least five minutes before she had calmed down. She used the hem of her too small white t-shirt to wipe her face, unwittingly giving the male next to her quite a show. Her breath was still coming out in shallow pants, but the tears and snot had stilled.

"I'm sorry," Keiko whispered, not looking at him.

A weird sort of calm settled in between them. The only noise was her occasional sniff and the sound of traffic just beyond the building.

He shifted a little as he sat. "Red."

She sniffled and wiped her nose. Curious, she glanced over at him. "What?"

He raised that same frustrating eyebrow up at her again. "Favorite color."

Her mouth formed a silent 'O' and she stared at his knee. "Thank you, Hiei."

He stiffened again. "For?"

"For," she smiled softly at him, "for not leaving when I needed you to stay."

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**A/N**: This is (or at least, I think it will be) the first of three parts. So, yay! Also, I realize a part of the conversation that they had could only have happened if someone mentioned to Keiko that Hiei had in fact kidnapped her before. But I mean, come on, like Botan would have been able to keep that secret for very long. Right? Right??

Cut me some slack here, people. It's Christmas.

Merry Christmas!!


	3. New Year's Eve Party

**Disclaimer**: Still not mine. Darn that Santa!

Nor do I own that terribly annoying – if not catchy – Madonna/Justin Timberlake song. I'm okay with that though.

**A/N**: I'm not even going to begin to vouch for how silly this is. Because this is … it's so silly. But my beta said it's, "made of awesomeness."

Thank you Jordan, for the beta and for understanding my sense of humor!

I had originally planned to post, "What About The Girl Who Ran, part 2" next. But then this happened. In literally one sitting. And I am so so sorry.

**Characters Featured:** Keiko, Kuwabara, Yukina, Hiei, Kurama, Shizuru, and Botan.

**Genre: **Humor/Friendship

**Rating:** T

**Summary:** Keiko's been in a funk during the holiday season, and her friends hope that a New Years Eve party will cheer her up. And if that doesn't work, there's always large amounts of alcohol.

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**All of This**

by Touch of Violet

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New Year's Eve Party

or

Kissing Loved Ones

"It will be fun."

Hiei rose an eyebrow at that simple statement, not bothering to turn his head away from the window to look at Kurama. _It will be fun. _For who, exactly? Certainly not for him. He had better things to do.

Like – rip out his teeth with his own bare hands.

"I think it would be good for her to have us there."

The fire demon snorted and finally turned his head away from the window, looking at Kurama like he was sprouting another set of limbs. "Since when do I care what's good for her? In case you forgot, I had to join the _team_ because I kidnapped her and turned her into my minion."

"Tried," Kurama corrected gently from his seat on his bed. "You tried to turn her into your minion."

"No," Hiei snapped. "I succeeded. Did you not see the third eye on her forehead? That's a successful minion, if I'd ever seen one. She just didn't wake up."

Kurama sighed, "Fine. She was your unconscious minion. A lot of good that did."

Hiei glared and Kurama smiled.

"Anyway, her friend is throwing a big party and she invited me. Us, she invited us, to go with her. From what I can tell, everyone is going. Botan, Kuwabara, Shizuru, Yukina…"

"They shouldn't drag her along," Hiei said with an edge to his voice. "Stupid human holiday. Just another excuse for them to drink themselves to death. They shouldn't drag her along."

Kurama shrugged a single shoulder. "From what I could tell, Yukina was the most excited about going. In fact, I think she is the one who talked Keiko into going." He tilted his head and studied his friend's face for a moment. "I suppose, you could come and keep an eye on her. I'm sure there will be alcohol, and Kuwabara…"

Hiei's glare intensified and he rose from his seat at Kurama's windowsill. "I hate you."

Kurama nodded and reached into his pocket to pull out his cell phone. "So, I'll RSVP to Keiko then?"

--

There were so. Many. Humans. Hiei forced himself not to grimace as he followed Kurama threw the crowd. Most of them appeared to be around the same age as Keiko and Kuwabara, no doubt in their same grade at school. It was a good sized area for a gathering, a large open space that was heated for the winter. Loud music was blaring, people were dancing, and there was the unmistakable scent of alcohol in the air.

And they would drag Yukina here unchaperoned. Absolutely ridiculous.

"Hey guys!" The unmistakable voice of the oaf rang out above the noise. He appeared a few moments later, holding a can of something fizzy and wearing a grin on his face. "Man, I'm so glad you two came." He wrapped an arm around Kurama's shoulders and nodded at Hiei. "She's in such a funk." Kuwabara let out a long sigh. "Damn Urameshi. Second New Years' in a row."

Hiei blinked at the human before turning to Kurama for an explanation.

"There's a custom during this holiday for lovers to kiss at midnight," the fox demon said to Hiei.

"For any particular reason?" Hiei asked with an arch of a dark eyebrow.

Kuwabara grinned cheekily. "Fun! You know how to have fun with a girl, right Hiei?"

Hiei rolled his eyes. "I seriously doubt you have any idea what fun with a girl entails."

Kuwabara either didn't hear him or pretended he didn't hear him; instead he batted his eyelashes and puckered his lips at the fire demon.

Said fire demon did grimace, backing away slightly from his former teammate.

Kurama chuckled behind a hand and shook his head. "I think we're both going to need whatever it is you're drinking, Kuwabara."

--

When Kurama and Hiei had been properly outfitted with something to drink, Kuwabara did his best to lead them threw the crowd of people and to familiar territory. Yukina, Botan, and Shizuru were gathered together at a table, tucked away from all the craziness of the human high school party.

"Hey, ladies!" Kuwabara greeted, planting a wet kiss on Yukina's cheek. The ice apparition giggled and Hiei rolled his eyes, looking away.

"What, we don't all get kisses, Kuwabara?" Botan giggled. "That hardly seems fair."

"Oh, well, who am I to deny such lovely ladies?" He wiggled his orange eyebrows in a suggestive manner that made the two blue haired girls laugh and his sister roll her eyes. "Oh, hey, by the way … where is Keiko?"

Shizuru gave a half hearted shrug. "She got into a thing with a guy."

Kuwabara's eyes went wide and his grip on his can tightened until it crushed in his hand, brown fizzy liquid squirting everywhere. "What kind of thing?" He managed in a dark tone.

Shizuru wiped the liquid off her face and glared. "Not _that_ kind of thing, doofus."

--

Keiko stood in the center of a large group of people, holding a glass larger than her head with both hands and hurriedly chugging back light brown liquid. A young man stood next to her, and equally large glass in his hands, chugging the liquid in much the same fashion.

The group around them cheered them on, all of them yelling loudly in unison.

Kuwabara and his collection of friends made it to the front of the group just as Keiko finished her drink and slammed the glass down on the table as hard as she could. She jumped in the air, arms raised high above her head, and gave a loud shout of victory that caused the group of people to erupt in applause and cheers.

She pointed both index fingers at the man next to her who still had liquid in his glass and shouted, "Take THAT, Kenshin! OH _who's_ your daddy?!"

Kenshin rolled his eyes and put his glass on the table, the crowd around them laughing hysterically.

"I'm not sure if I'm comfortable with this," Kuwabara mentioned out of the side of his mouth and Botan nodded in agreement.

"She's just drunk," Shizuru commented with a bored look on her face. "And really, it's good for her to have a little fun."

"Yes, but, alcohol induced?" Kurama questioned.

Botan sighed and shifted on her feet. "I suppose it's better than no fun at all; and she has been in quite a funk this holiday season."

"Well, Urameshi's been gone for going on two years now," Kuwabara added. "It'd be weird if she was all happy go lucky."

Yukina clapped her hands together. "I don't know what you all are so worried about. I think it looks fun!"

Hiei looked at his sister like she was insane and grunted.

Kenshin slammed his palm down on the table, immediately grabbing everyone's attention. "Alright, Yukimura! It's on now! I challenge you to DANCE DANCE REVOLUTION!"

The crowd let out a collective, "Oooooh."

Hiei raised an eyebrow. "The hell?"

Keiko threw her head back and laughed. "There isn't even a DDR machine here, you idiot! You've lost. Just admit it, Kenshin!"

Kenshin shook his head and shrugged off his coat. "DJ!" He shouted as loud as he could and the annoying music stopped. "DJ, play me some 'Four Minutes' please! I gotta teach this girl a lesson!"

"Oooh!" Keiko held her hands over her mouth and batted her eye lashes. "I'm so afraid!"

More annoying music started to play and the crowd moved around the couple, providing more room and forming a circle.

Kuwabara cracked his knuckles. "Really not sure if I'm comfortable with this."

"She's just really – _really_ drunk," Shizuru said, placing a hand on her brother's shoulder. "Let her have some alcohol induced fun."

Kenshin took to the very center of the circle and started dancing. It looked more like he was doing jumping jacks than anything, his feet moving out and then in, front and then back, and his arms swaying over his head awkwardly. The crowd was laughing and cheering him on. He stopped dancing and popped his collar, looking at Keiko with a very serious expression on his face.

Keiko smiled and started to circle him, looking like she was studying him very closely. All at once she dropped down – a large group of girls shouting, 'Drop it like it's hot, Mamma!' – and she stood up into a body roll. Immediately she pounced on her feet, moving her legs in much the same way that the boy had done, except she punched her feet down much harder than he had.

"This is dancing?" Hiei asked, his face contorted into a completely surprised expression.

"No," Kurama smiled, "this is Dance Dance Revolution without the machine."

Keiko moved her whole body as she moved her feet out and then in, front and then back, swaying her hips and sticking out her chest.

Kuwabara rubbed his forehead with the palm of his hand. "Oh man, I'm so not okay with this. Urameshi would so not be okay with this."

"Urameshi's not here!" Botan shouted in a laugh. "You go, Keiko!"

"Yeah!" Yukina called out from her friend's side. "Shake that thing, Keiko!"

"No!" Kuwabara shouted. "Do not shake that thing, Keiko! Keep that thing to yourself!"

Keiko popped the imaginary collar on her dress and allowed Kenshin to join in on her space on the circle, only to take both hands and push him against his chest so that he stumbled backwards into the crowd. Cracking her neck around, brown hair flying about her face, she approached her group of friends and pointed an index finger at Kurama.

The red head grinned at her in disbelief, pointing at himself.

She nodded, curled her finger towards her in a, 'get your butt over here' kind of way, turned on her heel and stomped away from them to the beat of the song, her hips swaying. She dropped down again quickly, but grabbed on to her knees and slowly pulled herself up, earning loud whistles from some of the boys in the group.

"Oh holy lord," Kuwabara gasped out, and hand clasped over his heart.

Keiko stood into another body roll, putting extra emphasis when she made it to her chest, and turned on her feet. She curled her finger at Kurama again and the red head stepped into the circle, and eyebrow raised in curiosity.

Stomping her feet, she mouthed the words to Kurama, "Sometimes I think what I need is a you intervention."

Kurama copied her motions. "And you know I can tell that you like it, and it's good, by the way that you move."

There was a loud collective cheer from the crowd, and Hiei found himself smirking. The two of them looked so ridiculous in the circle, and he was momentarily surprised that Kurama knew the annoying song at all.

Of course, he attended high school like every other teenager in Tokyo, so it wasn't too much of a surprise, he supposed.

Kuwabara whined low in his throat. "This is so – this is so not good. Not good. No. No!"

Keiko dropped her arms to her side only to pick them up and move them around in a very robotic sort of way, her body moving in the same sort of artificial rhythm.

Kurama watched her for a moment before copying her exactly. The result was rather amusing, the both of them moving like robots in the center of the circle.

Keiko shook her whole upper body, like she was shaking the artificial movements out of her system, and cracked her neck around again. With a sway to her hips, and the occasional drop down again, she approached Kurama. "Time is waiting," she mouthed to the fox demon as she danced towards him, "We only got four minutes to save the world."

Before she could reach the redhead, Kuwabara stepped into the circle, scowling. "No, this is over. I'm done with this." He picked Keiko up with one arm and pushed his way out of the crowd. "I am sobering you up, right now! I am so not comfortable with this!"

Keiko laughed from her position tucked under Kuwabara's arm and disappeared from view.

The crowd kept dancing, uncaring that the star of the program had left.

--

Keiko sighed and gripped onto the cup of coffee tighter (the fourth one Kazuma had forced into her hands since her little show), hearing the people around her count down the final seconds of the year but not really listening. Pretty much everyone had paired off, waiting for the adopted American custom of smooching during the first seconds of the New Year.

But Keiko was left partner less once again. She wondered how many New Years she would have to ring in by herself as her friends ticked off the last five seconds of the year.

"Five! Four! Three! Two! One! Happy New Year!"

The entire crowd at the party cheered, many of them turning to their perspective loved ones and puckering up. Keiko could see Kenshin plant a wet kiss on his girlfriend's lips. Kuwabara ducked his head down and kissed Yukina. Even Botan kissed first Kurama's cheek, and then Hiei's.

She sighed into her cup of coffee and blinked back tears, trying to smile at her friends' happiness.

"Oh, for the love of!" Shizuru exclaimed at her side. Before Keiko had a chance to react, the older girl knocked the cup of coffee from her hands, grabbed her by the top of her party dress, and pulled her into a deep kiss.

When Shizuru finally let her go, Keiko stared with wide eyes up at her. She didn't notice the way her group of friends was staring at them with the same wide eyed expression.

Shizuru shrugged a shoulder and grinned slightly. "Happy new year, Keiko."

Keiko's mouth dropped open before she lost herself to hysterical laughter. She threw her arms around Shizuru's neck and hugged her tight. "Happy new year!" She exclaimed.

Botan laughed and Yukina giggled and Kurama smiled and Hiei smirked at the scene before them.

Kuwabara sighed and shook his head. "God, I hope Urameshi comes back soon. Just when I think I've gotten her under control, she makes out with my sister. It's more than one man can handle."

* * *

**A/N**: BY THE WAY, if you play the song Four Minutes while reading this, it syncs up! At least, if you read at my speed. Because I turned on the song as I re-read this, and, Madonna's, "you intervention" line played at the exact same time it appeared in Keiko's dialogue. Yeah, it was pretty awesome.

So, what did you think? Did you hate it? Love it? Think it was too silly? Or made of awesomeness?

Please review. I read somewhere that it was a **_sin to read and not review_**. Yeah, I read that IN THE BIBLE.

Or. Somewhere on this site. I forget. ;p Review please!


	4. What About The Girl Who Ran?, part 2

**Disclaimer:** Not mine. Still.

Thank you Jordan for the beta! You are simply the best beta any girl could ever ask for.

**Characters Featured:** Keiko and Hiei (not a K/H fic though)

**Genre:** General/Friendship

**Rating:** K+

**Summary:** Hiei has been poisoned, and he goes to an unlikely source for help.

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**All of This**  
by Touch of Violet

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What About The Girl Who Ran, Part Two

_The Girl_

Keiko sighed and sunk deeper into her warm bubble bath, muscles groaning in protest from the movement. She had pushed herself too hard at practice for track. She had a big meet coming up at the end of the week and really wanted to win. She was running the 'two-mile' and was clocking in at less than twelve minutes, but she was pretty sure she could do better than that. Some of the boys were coming in at ten minutes and she knew she was better than most of them. She was hoping, somewhere in the back of her brain, to come in at seven minutes. Then again, if she could clock in at seven minutes she'd beat the woman's world record, and really, that would only draw too much attention to her addiction.

With a lazy stretch, Keiko unplugged the stopper from her tub and stood, reaching for her towel. Smiling at her reflection in the mirror, she wrapped herself up in the fluffy blue towel and ran a quick comb through her hair. Her muscles were still sore, but it was a soreness she was used to; and physical pain was more easily dealt with than its emotional cousin. If she could focus on her sore muscles, she didn't have to focus on her bruised heart.

Humming to herself and holding the towel against her body with one hand, she left the bathroom, walked across the dark hallway and made it into her bedroom. When she closed the bedroom door behind her, she almost dropped the towel to get dressed in her pajamas. Almost. But the breeze that wafted through her open window caught her completely off guard, seeing as how it had been closed before she left the room to take her bath.

The fire demon sitting on her window sill and clutching his stomach was also tipping her off that something was amiss.

Keiko gasped and ran to his side, barely remembering to keep a hold on her towel. "Hiei," she whispered in a panic, reaching out to touch him. He was bleeding around his hands on his torso, his head bent and unmoving. She moved his hands away from his wound and gasped again at the site of the oozing hole where his small intestine should have been. "Hiei," she tried again.

Blank red eyes met her gaze before his body fell completely limp, his forehead coming into harsh contact with her scalp. Keiko blinked back panicked tears and tried her best to move him to her bed without hurting him more and keeping her dignity. He was small, but he was heavy, and she was so worried about the fact that he might be dead – or dying – she had trouble caring about her dignity at all.

"Oh, _God_, Hiei," she said, carefully removing his cloak to examine his wound. It looked like he had been stabbed completely through the gut and out his back with a sword, and if the weird green substance that mixed and tangled with his blood was any indication, it had probably been a poisoned sword.

Removing the cloak meant the blood was free to pool on her white sheets. Keiko grimaced, not liking the fact that she'd have to explain the blood stain on her sheets to her parents, and decided to take one for the team.

Praying frantically that he'd stay unconscious for at least a few more minutes, she took off her towel and awkwardly sat him up again, laying the towel beneath him. Knowing he'd only completely drench the towel if she didn't stop the bleeding soon – and trying not to focus on the fact that he was bleeding _so much_ – she hurriedly threw on some semblance of clothes and got to work tending to his wounds.

--

Hiei fought against the darkness and the pain and the confusion, unsure of his surroundings, unable to find the ground. He was floating and suffering. He felt cold and lost and no matter how hard he tried he couldn't get his bearings.

He could barely hear a female voice calling to him from somewhere past the darkness. She was soft and she was soothing and he knew he had to get to her. So he fought. He kicked and punched and slashed and bit and did everything in his power to just find the bottom of the never ending darkness.

Hours passed and finally the darkness retreated slightly. He could feel her warm touch on his cold skin; make out her comforting words as they calmed his frayed nerves. She was forcing him to drink and the liquid fizzled in his body. Bile rose and with it the darkness came back full force.

She was gone; the darkness and the pain were all encompassing. He was exhausted, and was tempted to just give up and give in to the pain.

But Hiei kept fighting.

--

Hiei inhaled sharply and his eyes snapped open. His surroundings were unfamiliar, but not entirely foreign. He was on a bed in a small room that was painted yellow, an open window casting moonlight and causing shadows to form along the walls. His body screamed in pain and he grimaced, the memories of the ill begotten battle forming in his foggy mind. He was only doing a routine perimeter check in the forest behind Genkai's temple. He often visited from the Makai to see for his own two, true eyes that Yukina was alright and made sure that her home (in this case, the temple) was safe enough for her to be in.

A low level demon, and a new addition to the forest, had surprised him. Hiei hadn't given the idiot much thought. He looked weak and had seemingly no spirit energy. He hadn't counted on the sword the demon wielded to be dripped in poison until his world starting going hazy.

Hiei could recall the debate he had with himself as to whether or not to go to Genkai for help. But knowing Yukina would know, knowing Yukina would discover he often checked up on her, had given him pause – even as his brain started fumbling thoughts and clouding over, he didn't want her to see him the way he was.

So, where was he then?

He closed his eyes and inhaled threw his nostrils, trying to identify through smell what he couldn't through sight. The warm scent of vanilla and rain surrounded him, and he sifted through his memories, trying to figure out why that particular scent was so familiar.

Hiei blinked his eyes open in surprise. It was Keiko's scent. He was in Keiko's room. He had gone to Keiko for help.

He cursed himself silently, wondering why his befuddled brain had thought Urameshi's girl was the acceptable choice for help. _Kurama_, he berated himself, _Kurama was the acceptable choice. Kurama should have been the _only_ choice._

Setting his jaw, Hiei propped himself up on his elbows. He bit back the groan that tried to pass through his lips, and gave the room a cursory glance. Small, but clean, and positively female. He stopped breathing when he realized Keiko was in the room with him, curled up on the floor next to the bed, a single pillow beneath her head and a small blanket pulled up under her chin. His eyes widened when she stirred under his gaze.

Keiko yawned and rolled over to face him, her cinnamon eyes squinted as she looked up at him. "Hiei?" She asked, her voice cracking. "Are you – are you awake?"

He didn't move.

She yawned again and buried her face into the pillow. "Go back to bed, Hiei. Be angsty in the morning."

His eyes narrowed and he let out the breath he had been holding in an angry sigh. Did she just, did she just tell him to be 'angsty in the morning'? Hiei glanced around the room, trying to locate his sword. She had propped it up against the wall next to the bed. Hiei reached a hand for it. Oh, he would show her 'angsty' –

A sharp pain tore through his torso and he groaned quietly.

- in the morning. He would deal with the human girl and her presumption of his angst in the morning.

Carefully lying back down onto her bed, he brought her thin white sheets up over his chest and closed his eyes, drawing in a deep breath through his nose. The scent of warm vanilla and rain surrounded him and lulled him into a peaceful sleep.

--

Hiei awoke the next morning when he heard a door close. Unable to immediately recognize his surroundings, he looked around with wide eyes. Keiko stood near the door, holding a tray full of food and smiling gently.

"Sorry about that," she mumbled, her bangs creating a veil over her eyes as she walked towards the bed. "Had to close it with my hip."

Hiei lied back down, watching her closely, trying to recall in his memories why he was in Keiko Yukimura's bed. By the time she set the tray full of food in front of him, he had a fairly good idea why he was there.

"It isn't much," she said as she moved to his side. "Just some scrambled eggs and bacon. I wasn't sure how you liked your eggs so …"

He looked down at his food and carefully sat up, hiding the grimace that came from moving. Apparently, he still wasn't healed fully. Damn poison. Keiko didn't say a word, but reached out two hands and helped him sit up, fluffing his pillows behind him and pointedly ignoring the glares he shot at her for touching him.

"Please," Keiko urged, nodding to the food. "Eat. You need it."

He snorted but reached for the silverware anyway. "Like you would know what I need," he muttered, eating a forkful of eggs.

Keiko sighed and stood up. "Listen, I gotta get to school," she said, and Hiei noticed she was dressed in her uniform. "But I want you to stay here and rest. I doubt that you _will_," Keiko walked over to her desk and picked up a small white box, "just like I doubt you'll let me dress your wounds now that you're awake," she said, motioning to the box in her hands and he shook his head no as he ate, "but I wish you would anyway. I don't know anything about demon physiology, but you were _poisoned_, Hiei. And you need to rest somewhere safe. Here is safe."

Hiei swallowed. "What did you do?"

Keiko blinked at him. After a moment, she arched an eyebrow, obviously deciding whether or not she should be on the defensive. "Pardon?"

He rolled his eyes. "I was poisoned. I'm not dead. What did you do?"

"Oh," she smiled gently and walked over to the bed, "well, it's a good thing I bought that book last week called, 'So – Your Fire Demon's Been Poisoned,' eh?"

Surprised, Hiei looked up at her unsurely.

With a quiet, shaky laugh she sat down at the edge of the bed. "That was a joke." He glared and she shifted uncomfortably, drumming her fingers on the box. "I gave Genkai a call. She told me what to give you."

He froze, a harsh scowl etching itself onto his features.

"I doubt she said anything," Keiko insisted. "It's not like Genkai to gossip. And, and I'm not going to say anything. I promise."

His scowl darkened and she blew her bangs off her face.

"Just eat your eggs."

With a grunt and a look that clearly insisted he was only eating because he was hungry, and not because she told him to, he took a few more bites out of his scrambled eggs.

"Will you let me dress your wounds before I go?" She asked quietly.

He shook his head, never even glancing up from his food.

"Fine," she sighed, and set the metal box on his bed. "The first aid kit is here. It's got gauze and bandages and antiseptic ointment and everything you could possibly need."

He raised an eyebrow at her, his mouth full.

Keiko sighed again. "Let's just say you aren't the first injured fighter to crawl through my window at night."

Remembering their encounter a few months ago and the way she had awkwardly cried in front of him, Hiei nodded once and reached for the bacon. "You going to stay here and watch me eat all day or do you have something useful to do?"

"Oh, right," Keiko nodded and tugged at the hem of her shirt. "Well, please stay as long as you want. I have track practice in the evening, so I probably won't be home until dark, but I do hope you're here when I get back. Um, my parents are already gone, so you can have full roam of the house. Don't, you know, don't steal anything."

He glared half-heartedly at her and she smiled.

"Just covering all the bases, Hiei," she said with a shrug. "I don't particularly want them to find out I took care of an injured demon, because that would lead to them finding out all about Yusuke and…" she paused, and a very sad look overcame her features. "Anyway. Rest, please. Feel better. Stay, _please_." Keiko picked up a brown bag and walked over to the door. "Give yourself time to heal and I'll see you later, okay?" She didn't wait for the answer as she walked out of the room, "bye, Hiei!" She called just as the door closed.

Hiei grunted in response and finished off the rest of the food on the tray. Licking his lips he carefully reached for the first aid kit to re-dress his wounds. It hurt to move, but doing it himself was a million times better than letting the human girl do it for him. Even if it hurt like hell. Even if it was awkward and uncomfortable. Because he could do it himself, and he certainly didn't need her help.

As he wrapped his wound he thought about what his plan for the day would be. Keiko was right about one thing – he was poisoned, and the poison (even if the concoction Genkai had instructed Keiko give to him got rid of most of it the night before) would hinder his recovery. He was in no shape to go marching around Tokyo, much less the Makai. But he certainly couldn't stay in the girl's room all day.

Well, maybe he could stay in the room as long as the girl wasn't there. Because she was overly emotional and very annoying and ridiculously touchy feely.

Plans resolved in his mind, Hiei closed the case and lied back down with a grunt. He would rest for a little while longer in her room, until he was able to move around without too much discomfort. He would be gone before she ever came back.

--

Keiko sighed and felt tears well up in her eyes when she realized he had indeed left. She couldn't figure out why she was so disappointed that he was gone, when she had known all along that he would leave.

She furrowed her brow as she looked at her bed sheets and towel – both bloodied. The towel she could probably destroy without her parents being none the wiser, but the sheets would have to be washed. Keiko began the task of stripping the sheets off her bed with a little more force than necessary and allowed herself a scowl.

"He could've at least said, 'thank you,'" she muttered to herself, "or 'goodbye.' But no, the great Hiei just ups and leaves without anything."

Keiko gathered the white sheets in her arms and left her bedroom, heading over to the bathroom (where they kept the washer and dryer). Halfway there, her Dad spotted her.

"Doin' some laundry, Keiko?" He asked, appearing seemingly out of nowhere to inspect her armful of sheets. Of bloodied sheets.

Keiko grimaced. "Um, yeah. It's nothing and I-"

"Keiko! There's blood all over these sheets!" He exclaimed, picking an edge up with his thumb and index finger. "What happened?"

"Um," she fidgeted on her feet and searched her mind for a plausible explanation. "Well, Daddy, you see …" she smiled when she realized she was a _girl_, "once a month, a young woman will bleed because-"

"Uh, right, right," he interrupted, holding up a hand. "But this seems to be an awful lot of blood."

"Well," she bit her lip, "do you know how much blood is normal?"

He shook his head, "No."

"Then this is a perfectly normal amount, Daddy! No reason to be worried!" She smiled and sidestepped him, hurriedly walking over the bathroom. "Love you!" Closing the bathroom door behind her, she sighed and leaned against it. "God," she cried, sliding down the door until her bottom hit the floor, "I'm even lying to my parents for him and he didn't even say, 'thank you.' Freaking jerk." Keiko glared at the unsuspecting bath tub. "See if I ever help him again."

--

Keiko was so upset with herself and with life in general and in being so unbelievably disappointed for reasons she couldn't figure out, she went out for a jog. Again. Even after running for over an hour after school, she needed to run to clear her head.

Plus she thought she'd stop by Genkai's temple and invite Yukina to her meet on the weekend. The ice apparition had been more than happy to accept her invitation, especially after finding out that both Kazuma and Kurama had said they would be attending. Keiko, ignoring the tug at her heart that came from knowing that so many of Yusuke's friends would be gathered together around her without him there as well, took the steps down Genkai's temple three at a time.

She tried her hardest to hum to herself loud enough to drown out her thoughts – which were mean, terrible things, telling her no one needed her. Not even a dying fire demon wanted her help. There was another tug at her heart when she thought of him dying and hoped that wherever he was, being the jerk that he was or otherwise, he was okay.

A black figure dropped out of the sky in front of her on Genkai's steps and Keiko screamed, grabbing for her mace. She held the bottle up.

"This again?" The figure asked and Keiko relaxed immediately, lowering her weapon of choice.

"Hiei?" she asked, her breath coming out in shallow pants. The black figure in front of her rose to its full height, revealing his identity. Hiei smirked and she glared. "You gotta stop scaring the crap out of me every time we meet. Seriously, you can just knock on my door or something."

He raised an eyebrow and looked her up and down. "What are you doing here this late?"

Keiko put a fist on her hip. "What are _you_ doing here this late?" she countered.

"Very mature," Hiei responded.

"_You're_ mature."

"Hn."

Keiko sighed and shook her head. "I didn't say anything, if that's what you're worried about. I have a track meet on Saturday and I was just inviting Yukina to come and watch." _She distracts Kuzama quite nicely_, Keiko tacked on silently.

Hiei studied her for a moment before nodding once, as if she had given an acceptable enough answer. He took a step back from her and turned, and her heart lurched. He was leaving, again, without saying goodbye.

"Wait!" Keiko called, a hand reaching for him but not coming into contact. "Don't – don't go."

He froze and looked at her over his shoulder. "I have things to do, girl. I don't particularly want to stand her and chit-chat all night."

Keiko tried to force away the thought that the ferocious fire demon had used the words, 'chit chat' – she'd laugh about that later, darn it! – and glared at him. "Well, the least you could do is say good bye to me. I mean, I did save your life last night. But what does that matter?"

Hiei turned to face her completely and arched another eyebrow. "My question exactly. The truth is, I would've survived without your help. The recovery may have taken longer, but I most certainly didn't need you."

Keiko snorted, blinking back another set of tears that tried to fall. "Of course you didn't. Of course you don't. Because no one needs me." She started walking, avoiding him completely as she stepped past him on the steps. "No one needs me. No one ever needs me. I'm just little Keiko Yukimura. No one ever tells me what's going on, no one ever treats me like I matter. Nobody needs me. Why do I even bother?" She turned and walked down the steps backwards, looking at him with watery eyes. "Sorry I tried, Hiei. I won't anymore, okay? Just … just get better."

With that she turned around and marched down the stairs, wiping away the tears that stained her face.

--

Keiko sighed and sunk deeper into her warm bubble bath, muscles groaning in protest from the movement. She shouldn't have gone on that jog after practice. Oh well, at least she had invited Yukina to her meet. At the very least, Kuwabara wouldn't dote on her hand and foot and make her heart hurt too much if the ice apparition was present. Keiko felt a little guilty, using her friend as a distraction, as a ploy, to make herself feel better. Not guilty enough to stop her plan, but a little guilty still.

She yawned and unplugged the stopper. Keiko dried herself off with a new towel that had never seen Hiei's blood and dressed herself in the pajamas she brought into the bathroom with her. After the traumatic, 'take one for the team' moment she had experienced the night before, Keiko had vowed to always bring a change of clothes – or at the very least a good sized robe – in with her to the bathroom.

She forced a smile at her reflection and left the bathroom, crossing the dark hallway to her bedroom. Keiko noticed the scene before her to be oddly familiar – a now open window with a fire demon perched on its sill. This time, however, the fire demon didn't look like he was near death. More like he was incredibly annoyed. Like she was late for this meeting and he was annoyed for having to have waited for her.

"Took you long enough," he muttered and Keiko found herself glaring at him yet again. What was it about him that had her so furiously angry one moment, and so embarrassingly sad the next?

"Pardon me for bathing. What do you want?"

He turned a glare on her. "My bandages needed changing."

Keiko snorted and nodded her head at the desk by the window. "Well, you know where the first aid kit is. Help yourself."

Hiei stiffened and she could've sworn she saw his glare lesson slightly. "I can't reach my back," he said in clipped tones, and Keiko felt a huge weight suddenly lift off her shoulders.

She couldn't tell if he was lying or not. She couldn't tell if those five words were a confession, or an absolute lie. But either way, he had come to her. He was making her feel needed – on purpose or otherwise – and there was no way she could possibly be mad at him anymore.

"Well, that's no good," she agreed. "If you can't reach your back, you won't be able to get the antiseptic ointment applied properly and it's likely to lead to infection. Why don't you make yourself comfortable on the bed, okay?"

She didn't wait for an answer and immediately grabbed the first aid kit off of her desk. Opening it, she was relieved to see he had in fact made his way over to the bed and was currently taking off his cloak. Keiko did not blush – she DID NOT – as she sat down next to a half naked Hiei on her bed. She didn't make a noise, afraid to even breathe for fear the sound would scare him away, as she gently took off the bandage that had been wrapped around his torso.

Hiei was small, but lean, and she could feel the power of his muscles beneath his skin as her fingertips trailed across him to remove the white bandage. She tried her hardest not to touch him, but it was impossible to not brush across him once or twice. When the bandage was removed, she looked the wound over. He had two large gashes, one on his stomach and one on his back, and they were both healing slowly. They weren't bleeding anymore, but they looked like at any moment the torrent could start flooding back.

She popped the cap off of the bottle of peroxide and poured some onto a cotton ball. Keiko carefully cleaned his wounds with the peroxide, watching the white bubbles appear along the gashes. She wiped the peroxide off with a hand towel and started applying the antiseptic ointment with her finger tips. He stiffened beneath her touch.

"Sorry," she mumbled and lessened the pressure of her fingers on his wound. Once the ointment had been liberally applied, she started bandaging him back up.

A few minutes later, Hiei was properly bandaged, and Keiko scooted back to admire her handiwork. "There, that should be good for a little while."

Hiei looked down at himself before reaching for his cloak. He stood and put it on.

"You could, you could come back in the morning?" Keiko prompted. "I mean, it will still be a few days before it's completely healed and you don't want to get an infection …"

Hiei fastened the cloak and looked down at her.

A long moment past as he studied her before he finally nodded.

And Keiko smiled brightly up at him.

* * *

Review, please :)


	5. Party Socks

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho and any related characters.

Recognition for the title of this drabble goes to my always wonderful beta, Jordan, and urban dictionary dot com.

**Characters Featured**: Yusuke/Keiko

**Genre**: Romance/fluff

**Rating:** K+ to T (I'm not exactly sure)

**Summary**: Keiko reflects during a moment with her new husband.

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**All of This**

By Touch of Violet

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Party Socks

These were her favorite moments; lying in bed in the middle of the afternoon, nothing to do but just be with one another. Sure, they probably could be unpacking the boxes that littered their new home – but they were newlyweds, with more important things to do.

It was amazing to think that they were married. A little over a year ago, he was gone. Completely out of her life; a vague promise, a half hearted proposal, and a casual, "You know I love you, right?" were all she had to hold on to, all she had to reassure herself that he was coming back for her. And now, here they were, lying in their bed as Mr. and Mrs. Yusuke Urameshi.

Keiko reached out her hand and rested it on her husband's cheek, smiling when the action caused him to grin. He leaned into her touch and closed his eyes, a sigh escaping his lips. She giggled and ran her hand through his hair, still amazed that she was allowed to do so.

He was her husband.

One week. One week was all she had had of this – this closeness that a simple ceremony before friends brought. The knowledge of being his for as long as she lived, and he was hers as well. She couldn't believe that there would be more weeks like the one that she just had. That for the rest of her life she was his, and he was hers, and that was all there was to it.

Keiko couldn't help but remember what it was like when he was gone, what it was like when she didn't have that knowledge of being his. Of feeling empty and alone inside, and trying to dream about what it would be like to be lying next to him at night instead of being all alone.

And now, here they were. Lying in bed in the middle of the afternoon, nothing to do but just be with one another.

"You okay?" Yusuke asked, startling Keiko out of her revere.

She smiled gently. "Never been better."

He stared at her closely. "You look like you're thinking about something."

Keiko sighed and pulled her hand away from his hair. "I was just remembering what it was like waiting for you."

Yusuke's face fell slightly, a look of guilt creeping over his features. "Oh," he said, a note of sadness in his voice.

She smiled again and scooted closer to him on the bed. "Don't. Don't be like that." Keiko touched his cheek again. "It was worth the wait."

He grinned back at her, wrapping his arm around her waist and pulling her to him, kissing her gently on the lips. She smiled against his lips and allowed herself to melt into his chest.

After a moment, she pulled away just far enough to look him in the eyes. "Wanna know something funny?"

He tilted his head a little. "What?"

"I'm still wearing socks," she announced, taking her sock covered foot and running it up and down his calf.

Yusuke laughed and pulled her against him again, resting his chin on the top of her head. "Crazy girl."

* * *

Please review! :)


	6. Stealing Cinderella

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the characters or the song that inspired this idea, but I do own the idea.

Thank you Jordan for the beta!!

And I wasn't sure where to post this ... whether to make it its own post or to add it on here, considering Keiko isn't actually in it. But it's all about Keiko so, I thought, why not?

**Characters Featured:** Yusuke/Mr. Yukimura

**Genre: **General/Humor/Family

**Rating**: K+

**Summary:** Yusuke has a talk with Mr. Yukimura.

_She was playing Cinderella  
She was riding her first bike  
Bouncing on the bed and looking for a pillow fight  
Running through the sprinklers, with a big popsicle grin  
Dancing with her dad, looking up at him  
If he gives me a hard time  
I can't blame the fella  
I'm the one who's stealing Cinderella_

-Chuck Wicks (Stealing Cinderella)

**Stealing Cinderella**

by Touch of Violet

Yusuke was nervous.

His heart was beating erratically in his chest and he kept wiping his palms on his jeans to try and lessen the amount of sweat they were producing. He tried to tell himself that there was no reason to be _this_ nervous; he battled demons for a living, for God's sake. Big, scary demons. Hell, he even _was_ a freaking demon. He had no reason to be so nervous - to be more nervous than he had ever been in his entire life.

But, no matter how rational he made the argument, he still couldn't get his feet to step through the threshold.

He closed his eyes and breathed in deep, his sweaty palms making fists at his sides. With all the courage the former spirit detective could muster, and with his heart thumping so hard in his chest it felt like it was going to break a rib, he took a step and crossed the threshold, walking into the Yukimura Ramen Shop.

It was empty save Mr. Yukimura who was washing the last few dishes of the night. "We're closed," he said without even bothering to glance up.

Yusuke cleared his throat and wiped his palms on his jeans again. "It's just me, Mr. Yukimura."

The older man turned his head quickly and smiled brightly. He turned the running water off and dried his hands. "Have a seat, Yusuke! Keiko isn't home from the university yet, but I can make you something."

Yusuke obediently took a seat at the counter. "I didn't come to eat anything, Mr. Y. I actually," he swallowed hard over the lump in his throat and reminded himself that he didn't have to be nervous – he was a freaking demon after all – and tried on a smile. "I wanted to talk to you, if I could."

Mr. Yukimura rested his hands against the counter and gave Yusuke a once over. His brow furrowed and his lips pursed, but he just nodded his head. "Give me a few minutes to finish up these dishes. You can sit upstairs in the living room." Without waiting for an answer, Mr. Yukimura turned the sink back on and resumed washing.

Yusuke stood from his stool and walked up the stairs that lead out of the ramen shop and into the house. He let himself sigh when he made it to the living room, taking a seat on their worn out blue couch. The Yukimura's house had always felt more like home than his own, and he took pride in the fact that he had been the one who had worn out that blue couch. He had slept over on it almost every night between the ages of seven and eight and a half.

He placed his right ankle on his left knee and glanced around the room. He couldn't help but notice all the family pictures that lined the walls and were placed on top of their TV. And he couldn't help but remember how hard he had wished he was in those family pictures every night he slept over when he was a kid.

A picture on the TV caught his attention and Yusuke found himself standing up and walking over towards it. It was just a 4 x 6, stuck behind several larger pictures of Mr. and Mrs. Yukimura's wedding. Hesitantly, he picked it up, and held the black frame in his hands. He almost dropped it when he realized what it was of: he and Keiko at the beach. They couldn't have been older than eight; they were both wet and lightly sun kissed, sand stuck on their forearms and knees as the stood before the ocean. Yusuke had his eyes crossed and his tongue sticking out. Keiko stood next to him, both palms squeezing her cheeks and making fish lips.

He laughed out loud, surprised that his little kid wish had come true and that he hadn't noticed it before. He smiled at the picture and carefully put it back on the TV, this time placing it in front of the other fames. He inhaled slowly, relieved to see that his heart beat was slowly returning back to normal, and let his eyes scan across the other pictures. There were quite a few of just Mr. and Mrs. Yukimura on the TV – pictures taken from their wedding and from subsequent anniversaries. Mixed in were pictures of the parents with Keiko in different stages of her life.

On the wall was a picture of the Yukimuras still in the hospital. Mrs. Y was in the hospital bed, a baby bundled in a pink blanket in her arms. Behind her sat her husband, his arms wrapped around his wife's midsection and his chin rested on her shoulder. Both of them stared down at the brand new baby sound asleep in her mother's arms.

Next to that was a picture of three year old Keiko on her father's shoulders, her hands buried in his hair and laughter in her eyes.

On the TV, next to an old Christmas picture, was a recent picture of Keiko graduating from high school. The diploma was in her hands, and a parent stood on either side of her. All three were beaming at the camera.

One picture he recognized from Halloween when they were really young, no older than five – Keiko was dressed up as a fairy princess, with a tiara on her head and wearing in a blue, lacy gown. She and her father were in the ramen shop, a bag of candy on Keiko's arm, while she stood on her father's feet and he danced with her. She had a giant smile on her face, looking up at him with sheer adoration shining in her eyes.

Yusuke leaned in closer to the Halloween picture when Mr. Yukimura walked into the room.

He smiled at Yusuke and nodded his head at the collection of pictures. "She sure is something, huh?"

The younger man nodded and tried not to grimace at the fact that his heart started speeding up again. "Yeah," he agreed, raking his fingers through his un-gelled hair in an attempt to get it out of his eyes. "Keiko's quite the woman."

Mr. Yukimura smiled at him, his eyes turning to the picture of Keiko dressed up like a princess. His smile grew and his eyes glassed over. Yusuke stood as still as a statue, just staring at the other man and feeling like he was intruding on a special moment. Finally, Mr. Yukimura shook his head and turned his attention back to Yusuke.

"Okay, boy," he said, clapping him on the shoulder, "let's have a seat and get to talking." He motioned to the couch and Yusuke took a seat. The older man sat down in the recliner across the coffee table and sighed. "Though, I think I have a sneaking suspicion as to why you are here."

Yusuke gave him a lopsided grin and leaned forward in his seat, resting his forearms on his legs. "Listen, Mr. Y, I just, I…" he chuckled and shook his head, reminding himself yet again that he was a freaking demon – hell, the son of a king of freaking demons – and had no reason to be nervous about anything. He inhaled deeply and held his breath for a minute.

Mr. Yukimura raised an eyebrow. He pulled his white hat off his head and twirled it around in his hands. "I'm listening, Yusuke."

The young man nodded and released his breath. "You know, I opened up the noodle stand a few months ago. And it – it's doing well."

Mr. Yukimura's eyebrow raised higher on his forehead, a grin tugging at his lips. "Yes, I know that you're my competition now. I'm happy to see you're enjoying taking my business."

"Well, I, I learned from the best," Yusuke admitted, bowing his head in respect. "And I'm earning enough money to support myself. I want to move out of my mom's apartment and get my own place."

"That's good, Yusuke," Mr. Yukimura smiled. "I'm proud of you."

Yusuke fought against the unfamiliar feeling of heat rushing to his face and scratched at his temple. "Anyway, I figure, with the money that I'm making now and the money that I have saved up I – I could provide for a family. And that, that's what I want. I want to provide for Keiko," he looked Mr. Yukimura right in the eyes, "I want Keiko to be my family."

The older man held his eye contact, carefully placing his white hat in his lap.

"Mr. Yukimura," Yusuke cleared his throat, "I want to marry your daughter."

Mr. Yukimura broke eye contact to look up at the ceiling, letting out a quiet breath in between his lips. "I've known this day was coming for a very long time," he admitted. "Doesn't make it any easier." He leaned forward to place his hat on the coffee table. "Yusuke, there is no doubt in my mind that you and Keiko are meant to be together. But you both are so young. She just graduated high school. Why now? Why do you want to get married now, and not wait a little while?"

Yusuke sat back in his chair, wiping his palms on his jeans. "Well, I made her a promise a few years ago. You, you were there."

Mr. Yukimura nodded, letting out a good natured laugh. "I've been around for a lot of your proposals, Yusuke. You pulled that trick whenever Keiko got mad at you. And I know you only did it just so you could go on your martial arts tour without her forgetting you."

Yusuke smiled, trying not to grimace at the lame story Keiko had come up with for him to explain his disappearance and reappearance. "That's partly true. I wanted her to wait for me while I was gone because I did – I _do_, want to marry her, Mr. Yukimura."

"Yes, yes," Mr. Yukimura waved a hand dismissively, "but you didn't answer my question. Why _now_?"

"Um, well," Yusuke laughed nervously, "I've always felt like she was my family. I want to make it official."

Mr. Yukimura shook his head. "Yusuke, Yusuke, Yusuke. I want you to forget for a moment that I'm Keiko's father, okay? Why don't you … why don't you pretend," he scooted further in his seat, "that I'm _your_ father, okay?"

Raising his eyebrows, Yusuke nodded.

"Now, Son," Mr. Yukimura tried again, "why do you want to marry this girl when you're only nineteen years old?"

Yusuke wiped his face with the palm of his recently dried hand. "Keiko says no fooling around until we're married."

Mr. Yukimura laughed hard, slapping his knee. "And she's stuck to it?"

Yusuke sighed and furrowed his brow in annoyance. "So far."

The older man laughed harder and stood up from his seat. "Yusuke my boy," he said, offering his hand. "You have my blessing. Nothing would make me happier than for you to be the man who marries my daughter."

Yusuke stood up and shook the offered hand. "Thank you, Mr. Yukimura."

Mr. Yukimura pulled him close and hugged him over the coffee table. "Welcome to the family, Yusuke."

The unfamiliar heat rushed back to his face as Yusuke hugged the older man. "Thanks a lot, Mr. Yukimura."

Keiko's father pulled away from him, shaking his head. "Don't thank me yet, my boy. I've given you my blessing. You've still gotta convince her to say yes."

Yusuke chuckled and ran his hands through his hair again. "Right." He sighed, angry with himself that his heart was still pounding. "Now comes the hard part."

Mr. Yukimura placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "Good luck, Yusuke."

He smiled slightly. "Thanks."

"You don't need to be nervous," the older man reminded him.

Yusuke nodded in hesitant agreement. "Right, I don't need to be nervous."

And he didn't; he didn't need to be nervous about anything. He fought and killed demons for a living. He _was_ a freaking demon! What did he have to be nervous about? He exhaled and found himself staring at that picture of himself and Keiko at the beach, making faces at the camera. His heart skipped a beat before resuming at ten times its normal speed. He wiped his palms on his jeans and sighed. He could fight it all he wanted, but the truth remained the same.

Yusuke was nervous.

* * *

**A/N:** I always thought Keiko's father was oddly attached to Yusuke so, this happened! What do you guys think about it?


	7. Something To Sleep To

**Disclaimer**: Still not mine.

**A/N:** Edited only by me. And written last night in one sitting. I know – it's a scary thing. I do herby apologize for anything you may find offensive. More or less.

**Characters featured: **Yusuke/Keiko

**Genre:** Romance/General

**Rating:** K+ to T

**Summary: **Yusuke and Keiko have a moment alone together that isn't exactly what it seems.

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**All of This  
**

by Touch of Violet

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Something to sleep to

Yusuke sighed, the soft light of Keiko's bedside lamp managing to keep him awake.

She raised a patient eyebrow at him over her book. "I _did_ buy you a sleeping mask," she stated, ignoring his pointed glare at her lamp.

He grunted and rolled his eyes simultaneously. "But it has flowers on it! Purple flowers at that."

Keiko smiled and his anger melted away. "What's wrong with purple flowers?"

"I don't know," he admitted, turning on his side and propping his head up on his fist. "They're just super girly." With his free hand, he reached out and rubbed her swollen belly.

She gave a happy sigh and put her book down. "That feels good."

He grinned arrogantly. "Oh yeah?" He asked. "Does the baby like it?"

She nodded, her eyes closing in obvious contentment.

Yusuke's grin took on a devilish aspect before he quickly tossed the covers off of both of them.

"Hey!" Keiko exclaimed, offended at the sudden cold air brushing against her skin. "What do you think you're doing?"

Yusuke just kept grinning and positioned himself in-between her legs. "I'm making my babies happy," he announced, resting his chin on her thigh and rubbing her stomach gently. "Plus, I think he can hear me better down here. Better … _acoustics_," he wiggled his eyebrows at her and she laughed.

"Yusuke, you're crazy!" She giggled, reaching down to push the hair off his forehead. "And I wish you would stop referring to the baby as a _he_. It could very well be a girl. We won't know until the baby is born."

He gently nuzzled her thigh, earning a slight gasp from her. "It's a boy. I can tell."

"Right," she said, rolling her eyes. "Because you're the one carrying it around." She kept running her fingers through his hair.

He moved the tip of his index finger softly across her abdomen before teasing her belly button. "No, but I am the one with better spiritual awareness and-" he paused his ministrations, raising himself off her thigh with his elbow. "Did he just-"

Keiko giggled and nodded, caressing his face gently. "Yeah. Started moving when you launched into your speech."

Yusuke stared down at her stomach in total awe for a moment, the hand that had been touching her suspended in the air. "Wow," he finally managed, carefully placing his hand back on her stomach. He pushed gently and immediately felt the baby push back. "Wow," he said again.

He looked up at her and she pretended like she didn't notice the water in his brown eyes. "I can't believe he's in there."

"Or she," Keiko corrected gently, her fingertip tracing the outline of his mouth.

He kissed her finger and slowly crawled above her until his face was just a breath away from hers. "Thank you," he whispered, staring down into her eyes. "Thank you so much."

She smiled and kissed the tip of his nose. "You don't have to thank me, Yusuke. I want to have your baby. I want to have a life with you. You just have to come back."

He blinked, confusing etching itself on his face. "What?"

Her smile grew. "Just come back home, Yusuke. That's all you have to do."

"Keiko, what are you talking about?" He asked, pushing up on his arms to back away from her. "I am home."

Her smile faded and she sighed, her breath caressing his face. "No," she said sadly, the sudden loneliness in her eyes burning him. "You're not."

--

Yusuke awoke with a start, perspiration covering his face. He panted and rubbed his eyes, trying to gather his bearings. He was in a strange, empty bedroom – the only sheet on his hard bed pushed down around his ankles.

Realization dawned on him and he hung his head, unable to catch his breath.

He was still in the demon world.

His ragged pants were the only sound that filled the room; the harsh light of the suns scorched his skin from the open window. Yusuke shook his head and made himself stand up, his muscles groaning in protest.

Since beginning his training almost a year ago, sleep was a rare luxury. In some ways, he was grateful. Because, when he did manage to sleep, his dreams were always about _her_. And the guilt and the shame ate at him for days.

He walked over to his open window, pushing his palms against the sill and forcing himself to stare up at the suns. His breath was beginning to return to normal, though he couldn't quite get his heart to stop racing.

Yusuke narrowed his eyes at the sky, suddenly feeling angry.

They didn't even share the same sky.

His hands clenched into fists and he held his breath. He didn't even share the same sky as her!

Yusuke hung his head again, letting himself breathe again. "Keiko," he whispered, the sound of his voice quietly echoing throughout his empty room in his ancestor's castle, "Keiko …. please wait for me."

A stillness filled the room – an unsettled quietness stirred around him. And then …

"_I'd wait forever, Yusuke."_

He glanced around quickly, surprised. He could have sworn he heard her voice. His brow furrowed before Yusuke realized… she had already promised to wait for him long ago.

A smile formed on his lips even though his heart felt like it was sinking. He'd been making her wait for years, hadn't he?

He stared up at the suns, determination forming on his brow. "Just two more years, Keiko," he promised. "Two more years and then you won't have to wait anymore." He sighed and stared down at his hands that were still clenched into fists. If he focused, he could almost feel her skin beneath his fingertips. "Two more years and I won't have to wait anymore."

The loud rumbling of his ancestor's stomach filled the kingdom, and Yusuke shook his head. "I know what that sound means," he announced, rolling his shoulders. "Back to training. Oh. Joy."

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**A/N:** Review and let me know just how badly my beta needs to come back from Scotland already.


	8. Leave Me

**Disclaimer**: Still not mine. Ridiculous.

I don't own "Please Don't Leave Me," by P!nk which worked as major inspiration either.

**A/N: **empathapathique asked for closure months ago. And, months ago, this idea popped into my head. So this is for her. Sorry it took so long! (You can't be mad at me. I'm pregnant. I'm allowed to be slow and forgetful.)

**Warning:** Edited only by myself. Also, fluff!

**Characters Featured:** Keiko/Yusuke

**Genre:** Romance/hint of angst (just a taste, really)

**Rating:** T

**Summary:** Yusuke's return back to the Human World has caused some unexpected emotions in Keiko.

**All of This**

by Touch of Violet

Leave Me

Keiko was more than a little nervous walking home from the train station. She was still damp from playing around in the beach and the cool night air was brushing against her skin. She found herself shivering, and wasn't sure if it was from being cold, or from the person walking next to her.

How long had she waited for this? How long had she dreamed about this?

How _long_ had she waited for _him_?

And now, here he was, her Yusuke, walking her home late at night. Their time apart had aged him drastically. He wasn't a boy anymore … but she couldn't help but wonder the last time she'd actually thought of him as a boy. Watching him save the world, well, it changes the way you look at a person.

He smiled at her in the dark and her heart stopped.

"I'll carry your books, Keiko," he offered, reaching out his hands and taking her school books from her hold before she even had a chance to process what was going on.

She let him take them from her and smiled slightly, her cheeks burning. She was sure he could see it, even in the dim light offered by the street lamps. "Thank you," she whispered, unable to look him in the eye. "I've…I've never had anyone carry my books before."

His steps faulted a little, and she could feel his eyes on her. "Yeah," he said, his voice quiet, "sorry about … that."

Keiko felt her eyebrows come together and she stared at her loafers as she walked. Sorry about what, she wondered. Sorry about not carrying her books when they were kids? Or sorry about never being there throughout her entire educational career in order to carry her books in the first place?

A strange emotion swelled around in her chest – one that she had kept suppressed for years. It was a mix of things all at once boiling in her heart, building up into her throat.

He _hadn't_ been there for her. Not really. Not when she needed him.

And still, she waited.

She waited for a boy who gave a half hearted promise that things would change.

And the worst part was, Keiko realized as she stared down at her shoes, she would've waited even without the promise.

Her fists clenched and Keiko squared her shoulders. "You know," she said, her voice even and calm, "you don't have to carry my books."

Yusuke looked at her funny, his hair that was still a little damp from the beach clinging to his forehead. "I know, Keiko. But, I want to."

"And you don't have to walk me home," she continued as if he hadn't spoken. "I've been walking by myself at night for a long, long time now, Yusuke. And I've carried my own books." She stopped moving down the sidewalk to look at him, her clenched fist finding a way to her hip. "And I've fought all my own battles too. You were gone, and you know what? I didn't need you."

Yusuke's gaze fell away from her, obvious hurt etching itself onto his features.

"And I don't need you. I learned, Yusuke. I learned not to rely on you." Keiko took her books from him, a strange sense of freedom crawling over her as her voice grew louder. "I learned to walk alone at night. I learned to stand up for myself at school. I learned how to defend myself against boys that I've had to reject. I've learned to stand up for myself against girls who pick on anyone who is even a little bit different. And I did it all without you." She held her books to her chest and started taking backward steps away from him.

"I don't need you, Yusuke," she said again, paying no attention to where she was going, "so don't feel like you have to bother, okay? I don't need you."

Yusuke shook his head and started walking towards her, still not lifting his face to look at her in the eyes. Keiko backed into a lamp post, and soon he was there, standing in front of her, keeping her from running away.

"I know you don't need me, Keiko," he whispered.

She tried to push herself further into the lamp post, that wonderful feeling of freedom suddenly replacing itself with something similar to guilt. She swallowed over the lump in her throat and held her books tighter to her. "So, why are you still here?"

He raised his face to look her right in the eyes, and Keiko felt like crying. "Because," he said, his voice cracking slightly, "because _I_ need _you_."

Keiko melted into a puddle around his feet. She dropped her hold on her books and was vaguely aware of the sound they made when the crashed into the sidewalk.

"I've always needed you, Keiko," he said, moving as to close any distance between them. "You've never been the one that needed me. I've always been the one that needed you." His lips brushed against hers, gentle and unsure. "I still need you," he whispered against her lips and she felt tears start rolling down her face.

Keiko threw her arms around his neck and kissed him with everything she had. Yusuke found his courage and met her kiss for kiss, his hands roaming up and down her sides. He lifted her up against the lamp post and she wrapped her legs around his waist.

"Please don't leave me," she cried against his mouth. "Please don't leave me."

He gripped her thighs and kissed her until her cries stilled. "Never for this long," he promised. "Never again."

She lost herself in his touch. She felt her heart start to heal itself in his kiss. And she didn't notice just how far her skirt had been pushed up her thighs until a car drove by and started honking at their rather affectionate display. Keiko blushed and hid her face in Yusuke's shoulder.

He let go of her legs, and Keiko slowly slid off of him, pulling her skirt down in the process.

Yusuke was blushing when he bent down to pick up her discarded school books off the sidewalk. "Can I … can I walk you home, Keiko?"

She smiled at him, tears still clinging to her eyelashes. "Please."

--

Keiko was a good girl.

She really, honestly, was a good girl. The best girl, even. She was often picked on for being such a goody two shoes.

She didn't kiss boys on sidewalks in the middle of the night. And she certainly did not make out with boys on the patio in front of the front door of her parents' home/restaurant.

And – even if she did make out with boys in front of parents' front door - she didn't moan so loud she could wake up the whole neighborhood.

"You know," Yusuke began as he gently kissed the pulse point on her neck, "you could always invite me inside."

She wanted to slap him for his insinuation. She really, truly did. She was a good girl after all. But he was so good at what he was doing and she did not want him to stop. Not for anything. Not for-

"Keiko!" a male voice that sounded surprisingly like her father's shouted, stilling both her and Yusuke's movements. The door slid open and lights turned on all around them. "Keiko, just what do you think you're doing with …. Urameshi?"

Her father almost dropped his flashlight, giving the young couple enough time to disentangle themselves from one another. "You're out here with _Yusuke_ _Urameshi_?" He slapped his palm against his forehead and smiled in sheer disbelief. "Mama!" He called back into the house. "It's okay! You can come out here! It's YUSUKE! Yusuke's back!"

"Yusuke's back?" Keiko's mom called from inside the shop.

"Hi, Mr. Yukimura," Yusuke greeted, ducking his head and subtly trying to wipe Keiko's lip gloss off his face.

The young girl was trying to use her hair to cover her neck.

Mrs. Yukimura appeared in the doorway and soon both parents were dragging Yusuke into the shop and leading him to a booth.

"Keiko, be a dear and make Yusuke his usual, uh?" Mr. Yukimura prompted, sitting down next to the young man. "Mama and I gotta a lot of catching up to do with Yusuke here."

Keiko and Yusuke exchanged glances before he shrugged and she rolled her eyes, heading over to the kitchen to start making Yusuke's favorite meal.

Mr. Yukimura clapped Yusuke on the shoulder. "So," he began, "I'm glad you're back and you gotta tell us all about your martial arts training around the world but … rule number one. No more making out with my daughter on the front porch. It's bad for business."

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**A/N:** Yay, closure! ;p


	9. Family Gatherings

**Disclaimer: **Okay.

I wrote this something like three years ago. It goes with some of the other stories on my profile that deal with Hiei and Yusuke/Keiko's son. Just found it on my computer, so, yeah. Sorry about the delay! lol

**Characters Featured: **Keiko and Hiei and background group and OCs

**Genre:** General, slightly angsty

**Rating:** K+

**Summary: **Keiko wonders why Hiei comes to their group gatherings.

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Family Gatherings

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She's never surprised when he comes. Oh, she pretends to be. And she knows the others are. But she never is. They always invite him to their gatherings. He always scoffs and indirectly (always indirectly) says no, while directly calling them stupid. But in the end, he always shows. She can't figure him out. She can't figure out why he, the clear outcast of their group, calls them names for even thinking to invite him, but always shows up anyway.

She thinks it might have something to do with Yukina. These gatherings are his only way to really spend time around her anymore. They are both so busy with their own lives, and of course Yukina is blissfully unaware of their relationship, and she doubted he got to see her as much as he wanted to after Yukina got married.

Or, it might have something to do with Kurama. She knew they were friends. She suspected maybe since Kurama came, he would come.

But she is never exactly certain why he always comes. She's just happy that he always does.

Of course, he always comes late. She wonders if he plans it. She wonders if he waits for the others to arrive before coming inside, before making his presence known – or if he really just has a knack for being fashionably late. However it happens that he's always late, what follows is always the same.

She is in the kitchen, and he stops to see her first. He doesn't say anything; he doesn't even leave his shoes by the door. She sighs when she notices that and the mud that he's tracked in, wondering if he could ever be domesticated.

But then she pushes that thought far out of her mind because if he ever were domesticated, he wouldn't be himself. It's worth the mud stained carpet, in her opinion.

They do not exchange words, just a casual glance. And while she is preparing trays of food to take to the rest of the party, he is in the fridge, pulling out a bottle of chocolate syrup. She does not laugh, though it is very difficult, when he tilts his head back and bottoms ups the bottle of chocolate syrup, squeezing a long drizzle into his open mouth. When he finishes, he wipes his lips with the back of his hand, and extends the bottle to her.

She wonders why this is their ritual, even as she takes the bottle from him and copies his motions. She wonders why their interactions – which are few and far between – are so comfortingly predictable. She knows firsthand the hybrid demon is not what anyone would ever call, 'predictable.' That's as ridiculous as calling him, well, 'ridiculous.' She's still wondering about their strange, secret little ritual as she hands him back the bottle with a smile on her face. She knows he'll never return it, but she gives it to him anyway.

And for a moment, in his eyes, she almost sees a flicker of something. She can't place quite what it is. It's a mix between appreciation and apprehension and just as quickly as it flickers in, its gone, and he's putting the bottle back in the fridge.

She decides not to dwell on what she cannot understand; and she certainly has never been able to figure him out. She turns to her counter and tries her hardest to balance four trays of food on her two arms. She is a mother, after all, and can do pretty much anything – because mother is synonymous with warrior.

She quickly discovers it isn't synonymous with grace, and squeals as a tray falls from her grasp. But he's there, faster than her mind can fathom, he's there, and he has the tray in his hands. He quirks an eyebrow at her – and she can't tell for the life of her if he's amused or annoyed – but he takes a second tray from her either way.

She smiles at him brightly, because at that moment _he_ is her hero, and heads out of the kitchen and to the backyard with her two trays; he tags behind, carrying his two trays. As they pass the mirror in the dining room, she thinks she spots a self-satisfied look on his face, but she doesn't look at his reflection long enough to be certain.

It's a beautiful summer day, and she can't help but smile as the sun kisses her cheeks and the wind ruffles her hair. The three children and her husband are playing on the swing set – her husband playing the fool as two little girls laugh and try to push him on a swing. The adults are gathered around a picnic table, drinking and laughing and talking with one another.

The group in the back yard pauses from their activities to welcome the newcomer. He doesn't respond as the two of them set the trays full of food before their friends. He doesn't even make a comment as Kuzama says something rude about the hybrid bringing them their food. He simply takes a seat at the base of the tree in the backyard, away from everyone else, and immediately starts looking bored.

And then the children, who had been playing happily on the swing set with her husband, notice him for the first time. It is her son, _her_ Keiichi, who squeals in delight and runs to the demon, throwing himself on him and talking to him frantically as he settles himself in Hiei's lap. And her heart aches as the other two little ones, the two little girls who look so much like their ice maiden mother, look at him with fear in their eyes before turning to their Uncle Yusuke for encouragement.

She hurts for him. She hurts for him because she knows that he'll never let himself feel hurt over the fact that those two beautiful girls – his two beautiful little nieces – will never call him _Uncle_. Because they do not know that he is. Because they do not want to. They will call Yusuke "uncle." They will call Kurama "uncle." They will even call Koenma "uncle." But they will never use that title when referring to their actual uncle. So she hurts for him, cries for him, because he cannot do it for himself.

Her eyes soften from her seat at the picnic table, mind only half recognizing what Botan is talking to her about. She sees her little boy curled up on Hiei's lap, prattling on and on about something. She sees the hybrid demon as he looks down at the boy, giving the boy his full attention. She sees the way Keiichi touches the demon's chest, sees the way his little fingers linger on the dragon on his arm, sees the way his eyes light up when he realizes he is the only thing in the whole world that his favorite uncle is focusing on.

Keiko hurts for him again as she ponders on whether or not the demon has ever let himself love, or if he's ever let himself feel the love that others can give. She hurts when she thinks about the loneliness he's faced in his life, and she wonders if he's ever even been given the opportunity to love. And mostly, she wonders that if he is ever given the opportunity to love, to receive love, if he would even take it.

Her breath catches in her throat when she sees the fire demon reach out a hand and gently, carefully, almost hesitantly, brush Keiichi's hair out of his eyes.

She can't help the way her heart stops beating, just like she can't help the way tears form behind her hazel eyes when she realizes he just gave an answer to her unasked question. And the tears silently slip down her cheeks, unnoticed by those around her, when she realizes why he always comes to their gatherings.

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**A/N:** I'm still leaving this collection of one-shots as complete, but there's always a chance! Thank you guys for taking the time to read and occasionally review! :)


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